The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has become the latest sporting body to open up archive video content by streaming memorable moments from the Davis Cup and Fed Cup team competitions over the last 25 years.
With professional tennis having been suspended until at least July 13 due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the ITF will show full matches on its YouTube channel over the next 10 weeks, starting with Spain’s Fed Cup doubles victory against Switzerland in 1998.
Other highlights will include Roger Federer’s (pictured) victory against Richard Gasquet to clinch Switzerland’s first Davis Cup title in 2014. Petra Kvitova’s Fed Cup clash with Angelique Kerber in the same year, Australia’s Davis Cup win in 2003, and also Serbia’s first Davis Cup win in 2010.
Matches will be streamed live on the ITF’s YouTube channel every Thursday at 11am (GMT). Fans will be given the chance to choose which matches they would like to see in the future.
The Association of Tennis Professionals and Women’s Tennis Association recently joined forces to launch a new weekly programme on their digital platforms in the absence of live sport. A number of other sporting bodies have announced similar plans to open up their archive content in the absence of live sport, including Fifa, Uefa, the International Cricket Council and International Hockey Federation (FIH).
Meanwhile, Fiona Conroy, a long-serving member of the ITF’s media-rights sales team, has left the London-based international federation.
Conroy’s exit is not thought to be related to wide-ranging measures taken by the ITF in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including the furloughing of staff.
It is understood that Tim Stemp, executive director, commercial will assume Conroy’s broadcast responsibilities as the ITF waits to assess the full impact of the Covid-19 shutdown on the tennis broadcast landscape.
Conroy had been with the ITF since 1996.